Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
Biopsy, Sentinel Lymph Node
What To Think About
- In a sentinel lymph node biopsy, less tissue is taken out but more sections of tissue are looked at than by a standard lymph node dissection. However, if cancer is found, more surgery will be needed to look at additional lymph nodes.
- Swelling in the area around the biopsy site is less common with sentinel lymph node biopsy than with a lymph node dissection.
- The dye may cause your skin to be blue for several days after the biopsy. It may also cause your urine to turn green for 1 to 2 days.
- It is possible to have false-negative results from the small sample taken during a sentinel lymph node biopsy.
 Go to previous section |  Go to top of page |  Go to next section |
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS | Last Updated: April 17, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine Deborah A. Penava, BA, MD, FRCSC, MPH - Obstetrics and Gynecology Brent Shoji, MD - General Surgery | |
 | ||
| |
| Topic Contents | |
| Test Overview | |
| Why It Is Done | |
| How To Prepare | |
| How It Is Done | |
| How It Feels | |
| Risks | |
| Results | |
| What Affects the Test | |
 | What To Think About |
| References | |
| Credits | |